The current FEMA process takes into account several factors, including a formula for calculating a damage threshold, which in Illinois amounts to $17.8 million.

That formula, the East Moline Democrat said Friday, lumps communities such as Washington and Gifford in with Chicago and makes it more difficult for small communities to qualify for federal assistance.

“A lot of it is based on population and how much of a geographic region is damaged. That doesn’t serve us well because it’s based on that bigger number,” Bustos said. “I don’t see any downside in this formula for our communities that we serve. … Chicago, they’re going to be taken care of if they have a major disaster hit there.”

The Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act of 2014 — introduced by Bustos; Aaron Schock, R-Peoria; Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; and Bill Enyart, D-Belleville — would prioritize the factors weighed by federal administrators and put the emphasis on local impact, rather than statewide damage.

The bill mirrors legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk, a Republican, and Dick Durbin, a Democrat, in 2012, and would be retroactive to include all storms in 2013.